GFSI Releases Version 2.0 of Food Safety Culture Position Paper

VANCOUVER — The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) announced that the organization has launched "A Culture of Food Safety," its position paper presenting an evidence-based framework aimed at helping organizations around the world strengthen food safety.

The updated resource incorporates insights from more than 180 academic and industry sources, including empirical studies, behavioral science, organizational research and professional guidance. Building on the 2018 edition, which GFSI said played an important role in establishing a common language for discussing food safety culture, it establishes a dual-layered approach to food safety. 

It identifies "Organizational Foundations," the leadership and values that form an organization's DNA, and "Manifested Practices," the visible, daily behaviors that ensure food stays safe from farm to fork.

The paper reinforces GFSI’s central premise: Food safety culture is not merely the product of leadership or training, but an integration of shared values, behaviors, risk awareness and organizational learning, GFSI reported. The paper, according to the organization, demonstrates that to be effective, food safety culture must be measurable, actionable and continuously improved.

“Food safety culture is a critical determinant of food safety outcomes — and strong food safety cultures are built through shared values, consistent behaviors and a deep awareness of risk," said Elizabeth Andoh-Kesson, interim director, GFSI. "Too often, food safety is only high on the agenda when there is a crisis, which has to change. In an increasingly complex food system, food safety should go beyond formal regulations to live within the culture of an organization.”

In addition to the updated framework, the paper outlines key implications and recommendations for the industry, regulators and certification bodies:

• Adopt an integrated systems-and-culture approach, recognizing that food safety performance depends on both formal controls and organizational behaviors.
• Use the five-dimension framework as a common reference point when designing standards, training programs and assurance activities.
• Assess food safety culture across multiple dimensions, rather than relying on a single indicator or tool.
• Strengthen research and practical work on under-explored areas, particularly the dimensions of consistency and organizational adaptability, which remain less studied in the literature.

The resource launched at the GFSI Conference March 26 in Vancouver. Read the full paper here.